


Veteran's Day

by Winged_Fool



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Nebulous Well-Adjusted Future, Short & Sweet, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 04:10:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21403972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winged_Fool/pseuds/Winged_Fool
Summary: How Michael celebrates Alex on Veteran's Day
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Comments: 40
Kudos: 185





	Veteran's Day

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta-read, all my mistakes are from a rush to get this out on Veteran's Day

Alex wakes up on November 11th with Michael holding him tightly. Isobel had invited him to participate in the annual Veteran’s Day parade, but he declined - despite all her pouting and trying to guilt him into it. _ Thank you for your service. Thank you for all you’ve sacrificed for our freedom_. Alex never really felt imposter syndrome as much as he did when people thanked him for his military service.

He feels Michael start to wake, stirring next to him and hugging him tighter. “Hey,” Michael murmurs sleepily into Alex’s ear. “You okay?”

“Fine,” Alex replies and rolls over to face Michael. 

There’s sleep still around Michael’s eyes, but he smiles when Alex rolls over. He leans in to give Alex a kiss, but Alex pushes him away, “Ugh get away, you have morning breath.”

Michael huffs a laugh then rolls out of bed without saying anything. He heads to the bathroom to brush his teeth then Alex hears him puttering around in the kitchen. He allows himself to lay in bed for a count of five then he’ll get up and join Michael in the kitchen. _ One_. Alex doesn’t like thinking about his service, less now that he’s out, but when this whole day is dedicated to the military it’s hard to escape it.

_ Two_. He thinks about his unit, the ones that didn’t survive the accident that took his leg. _ Three_. For the longest time, Alex thought he should have died out there with them. _ Four_. There are days when he still thinks that. _ Five_.

Alex sits up in bed and pushes to the edge of their bed. _ Thank you for your service_. He rolls his shoulders and cracks his neck. His service wasn’t willingly given, why should be thanked for giving into his father’s threats? 

_ Thank you for all you’ve sacrificed. _He reaches for his prosthetic and starts to fasten it up. He didn’t lose his leg for people’s freedom. He might have gone to war to keep Michael safe, but the war waging overseas isn’t protecting anyone’s freedom. Just someone else’s war, story of Alex’s life.

When he gets to the kitchen, Michael has set out some mugs of hot chocolate on the table and is working on making pancakes. “What’s all this for?” Alex asks, settling into one of the chairs.

“Just felt like pampering you today,” Michael replies flipping over the pancake.

“It’s just another day,” Alex mutters but picks up one of the mugs and blows the steam away.

“Just another day,” Michael agrees and places a plate of pancakes in front of Alex. It has two cut up bananas on the top pancake and a trail of chocolate chips in a smile. Alex laughs, Michael is such a sap. He loves it.

***

They run errands like it’s any other day. When they’re at the grocery store, Michael picks out all of Alex’s guilty pleasure snacks and tosses them casually in their cart. Alex tries to glare at Michael, but he deliberately avoids eye contact.

For lunch, they go to the Crashdown and Michael doesn’t let them leave without ordering them chocolate milkshakes and fries. Alex dips his fries in the shake, waiting for Michael’s usual mocking but it doesn’t come. When he looks up, Michael is just watching him with a small smile and Alex’s heart skips a beat.

They head back to the cabin to put the groceries away and Michael disappears into their bedroom. He calls out to Alex, “Hey you up to going to the Pony later?”

“For what?” Alex calls back suspiciously.

“Just to hang out,” he responds too quickly and when he comes out of the bedroom he’s switched his belt buckle to an American flag.

Alex levels him an exasperated look but Michael just gives him a shit-eating grin and distracts him by pulling him into an embrace and peppering his face with kisses. “So?” he asks again.

“Fine.”

***

Everyone is already at the Pony by the time they get there. There’s an obnoxious banner over the bar “thnx 4 ur service” it reads and is punctuated by an upside-down flag. “Hey!” Kyle and Liz call out from their usual table near the bar. They have red velvet cupcakes, white cream cheese frosting, with blue sprinkles on the table. It’s a little mocking but not disrespectful so Alex just laughs and joins them at the table.

Maria has a punk emo playlist playing in the Pony - all the classic anti-war songs. No one thanks him for his service and Wyatt and all his military ass-kissing friends are fuming in the corner and it just makes it all that much sweeter.

Michael, Max, and Liz ditch them to play pool. When American Idiot starts playing, he and Maria sing along at the top of their lungs. Alex looks over at Michael and just like at the Crashdown, he’s just watching Alex with a smile on his face. _ Just another day_, Alex thinks again, but he knows it’s not just any other day and he loves his friends so much.

***

Alex is comfortably tipsy by the time Michael drives them back to the cabin. He’s more sleepy than anything so he doesn’t protest much when Michael opens the passenger door and pulls Alex out of the truck to carry him bridal style back to their room.

He lays Alex down on the bed and gently takes off the prosthetic, pulls off the liner and sock, and lays a soft kiss on the stump. Alex sucks in a sharp breath when Michael looks back up and has tears in his eyes. “Guerin…” Alex starts.

Michael shakes his head, “Just another day right?”

Alex pulls Michael up from the floor so they’re laying facing each other on the bed. “Thank you for today,” Alex says quietly, putting a hand on Michael’s cheek and stroking the cheekbone. “You made it special without making it about the military.”

Michael wraps him up in a tight hug and burrows his head in the crook of Alex’s shoulder. “Every year you were gone, I hated this day. I hated hearing everyone thank your dad or anyone else for their service because it’s why you were gone. Why you left.”

Alex runs his fingers through Michael’s curls, “I’m here now, I’m not going anywhere.”

“You’re here.” Michael agrees, a little desperately. “You’re here, you came home.”

“Home,” Alex repeats sleepily, eyes falling shut. Michael doesn’t let Alex go and they fall asleep like they woke, wrapped up in the other. Because it was just another day.


End file.
